ANAHEIM — Chris Wagner has learned that his stays with the Ducks don’t offer permanence. The more chances he gets with them, the more that he has to make an impact to warrant keeping around.

A lingering lower-body injury to center Ryan Getzlaf has opened the door for Wagner to return to the lineup and the forward has shown that he’d rather not making trip down Interstate 5 back to San Diego.

Since his latest recall Tuesday, Wagner has appeared in three games and dished out hits during his fourth-line duty while also chipping in with his third goal of the season.

“I’m honestly still privileged to be here,” Wagner said Sunday. “You never know what’s going to happen when you wake up the next day. Just trying to play as hard as I possibly can and see what shakes out.”

Wagner originally came up as a center in the Ducks organization and started this season there after the team reacquired him off waivers from Colorado late last season. But Ducks coach Randy Carlyle is a believer that the versatile forward makes more of an impact on the wing than at center.

“It seems to give him more freedom along the wall,” Carlyle said. “There’s more battles along the wall. It’s not easy too. He’s a right winger too and we moved him over to the left side. It seems that those are the things we notice as a coaching staff.

“He’s able to make a complement to your group no matter where you put him. If you need a faceoff, well, he has played enough center that you know it’s not life and death when he’s out there.”

The wing position also allows Wagner to be more physical along the walls and in the corners without being as worried about the added defensive responsibilities that come with playing in the middle.

Wagner sees Carlyle’s reasoning and also figured that his lack of faceoff success also contributed to the position switch. Playing simple, no-frills hockey is how he will succeed, like in Friday’s win over Arizona where he squeezed a wrist shot into an opening left by Coyotes goalie Mike Smith.

“I was definitely surprised it went in,” he said. “Sometimes there is a little space when he’s hugging the post and his arm is kind of behind the post. Just throw it at the net. That one went in and that was a big one for us.”

Position switch

Another reason why Wagner got his spot is Rickard Rakell moving back to center from left wing, where he has been the majority of the season. Ducks coach Randy Carlyle has continually said that he sees Rakell as a center and that allowed him to easily fill the hole than an absent Getzlaf creates.

“It’s been pretty fun actually,” Rakell said. “I’ve had the puck more. Even though I think we’re still creating some chances, we could be more productive. We’re just trying to get better going forward. It’s been going up and down through the whole season. Just trying to get better.”

Playing center also brings back the challenge on winning faceoffs, which has been a sore spot for Rakell. He won four of nine on Sunday.

“Faceoffs are not easy,” said Rakell, who was just 43.7 percent successful last season. “But I’m trying to get better at it. At the same time, I don’t have to panic over it because we have so many different options. Obviously I’m trying to win every faceoff.

“Ever since I came up here, if there is something I wish I can improve on, that would be one thing.”